#Characterisation Marches On

[inspectorspacetimerevisited]

If a character is going to have a defining characteristic,

wouldn’t it make sense that it was always there, not disappearing for no reason, only to turn up when it’s convenient.

[edwinas]

Post-canon Lemon [part II/?]

a continuation of this post

Dedicated to @books-are-my-life-stuff and inspired by your gifset!

After high school, Mash goes to patisserie school, Lemon goes to uni for a degree in care of magical creatures, Dot & Finn & Lance become divine visionary apprentices and are on the fast track to join the bureau of magic.

Lemon is admitted into a world-renowned university with top notch research, facilities and faculty.

To stay in touch, the gang tries to meet up weekly to do fun activities (aquarium, farmer's marker, game arcade etc), the way they did back at Easton Academy.

Lemon misses may of them because she's on overseas trips to study rare creatures. So the gang tries to tag along as often as they can <33

Lemon is still Mash's self-proclaimed wife but she has mellowed down a lot, no longer pouring all her energy and time into loving Mash, instead focusing more on herself and excelling at her studies.

Lemon knows she got this far thanks to the help and support of others: Headmaster Wahlberg, Easton teachers, her friends especially Mash. She never forget her roots and is always volunteering at Easton as a mentor and teaching assistant. She's super popular with students and even has a fanclub!

She's such a good teacher that in her final year of uni, Wahlberg offers her a teaching position at Easton. Lemon declines, wanting to gain experience on the field first and help difficult creatures.

Mash and Lemon develop and easy friendship. underneath all the crazy, she's a sweet thoughtful girl with high emotional intelligence, often the first to pick up when something's up.

Mash often tests out new recipes and designs with her and Lemon provides honest feedback on what works and what doesn't.

They often share comfortable silences, Lemon absorbed in her studies and sneaking glances at Mash baking. Mash catches himself looking back, flustering Lemon which makes her punch him.

Mash has never had an affinity with written exams (as seen in ep 24) but is better at prepping for them now yet Lemon sees how stressed he really was. Being a patissier has been his dream forever so the stakes are high.

Lemon takes him to see the animals at her university to relax, a bit like how students have play sessions with puppies. Except Mash sees some disturbing creatures but pretends to be fine.

Mash falls asleep mid-way through an explanation on owls' diet, resting his head on Lemon's shoulder. She quietly takes out her sketchbook to draw him. Lemon's a great artist and has drawn many Mash(es?) in high school, including the ones on Mash merchandise (that Mash and Finn found disturbing in the epilogue). But there were also drawings she hasn't shown anyone, that are soft and vulnerable, that show unbridled longing and love.

Lemon assumed Mash fell asleep because he was tired and bored but he actually found her voice soothing and comforting, like home. no one has had that effect on him.

[fragmentedblade]

Insane that Blade during Todd's quest did basically the same thing Dan Heng was doing during this last video

[strangeandinteresting]

"And we live in an acTUAL NIGHTMAAAAAARE!" has been living rent free in my mind since I watched the series

[isawhitney]

Brutus

Listen, you’ve all been overreacting. I mean,

It’s not as if he were a dream, a perfect prefect

In our marble city. Truth be told, that big man in

Little Italy was a cock-up from day one. The sun rose

On that fateful day round about the middle of March -

Lovely weather, omens everywhere - and he just stood

Under those proscenium arches doing nothing!

I would’ve told him, ‘Julie, really? Listen to the gods.

Honestly, what are the odds of anything okay

Coming out of a day where the geese are flying backwards

And your prized egret quacks?’ Always listen to the poultry,

That’s what I say. Birds know when something’s amiss.

It’s not that I didn’t take a bit of convincing. I’m a good mate

Normally, give or take a couple of minor infractions,

Hesitations, usurpations, but Cassius just would not

Let up, even for a moment. Ringing me at home, at work,

Running down the Senate corridors to collar me,

Acting - completely frankly - a real berk. I love him,

But Caesar’s not the only Roman who’s a real

Pain in the neck, or in the lower abdomen

As the case may be. Anyway, eventually I had to give in.

Oh, Jules. He came, he saw, we conquered. Poor old bloke,

But progress needs a scapegoat just like everything else

And he fit the bill. There could be nothing more to tell,

But do you want to know the truth?

My secret self is ruthless. I killed him, and in my killing

I rejoiced.

[suzannahnatters]

So here's one of the coolest things that has happened to me as a Tolkien nut and an amateur medievalist. It's also impacted my view of the way Tolkien writes women. Here's Carl Stephenson in MEDIEVAL FEUDALISM, explaining the roots of the ceremony of knighthood: "In the second century after Christ the Roman historian Tacitus wrote an essay which he called Germania, and which has remained justly famous. He declares that the Germans, though divided into numerous tribes, constitute a single people characterised by common traits and a common mode of life. The typical German is a warrior. [...] Except when armed, they perform no business, either private or public. But it is not their custom that any one should assume arms without the formal approval of the tribe. Before the assembly the youth receives a shield and spear from his father, some other relative, or one of the chief men, and this gift corresponds to the toga virilis among the Romans--making him a citizen rather than a member of a household" (pp 2-3). Got it?

Remember how Tolkien was a medievalist who based his Rohirrim on Anglo-Saxon England, which came from those Germanic tribes Tacitus was talking about? Stephenson argues that the customs described by Tacitus continued into the early middle ages eventually giving rise to the medieval feudal system. One of these customs was the gift of arms, which transformed into the ceremony of knighthood: "Tacitus, it will be remembered, describes the ancient German custom by which a youth was presented with a shield and a spear to mark his attainment of man's estate. What seems to the be same ceremony reappears under the Carolingians. In 791, we are told, Charlemagne caused Prince Louis to be girded with a sword in celebration of his adolescence; and forty-seven years later Louis in turn decorated his fifteen-year-old son Charles "with the arms of manhood, i.e., a sword." Here, obviously, we may see the origin of the later adoubement, which long remained a formal investiture with arms, or with some one of them as a symbol. Thus the Bayeux Tapestry represents the knighting of Earl Harold by William of Normandy under the legend: Hic Willelmus dedit Haroldo arma (Here William gave arms to Harold). [...] Scores of other examples are to be found in the French chronicles and chansons de geste, which, despite much variation of detail, agree on the essentials. And whatever the derivation of the words, the English expression "dubbing to knighthood" must have been closely related to the French adoubement" (pp 47-48.)

In its simplest form, according to Stephenson, the ceremony of knighthood included "at most the presentation of a sword, a few words of admonition, and the accolade." OK. So what does this have to do with Tolkien and his women? AHAHAHAHA I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED. First of all, let's agree that Tolkien, a medievalist, undoubtedly was aware of all the above. Second, turn with me in your copy of The Lord of the Rings to chapter 6 of The Two Towers, "The King of the Golden Hall", when Theoden and his councillors agree that Eowyn should lead the people while the men are away at war. (This, of course, was something that medieval noblewomen regularly did: one small example is an 1178 letter from a Hospitaller knight serving in the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem which records that before marching out to the battle of Montgisard, "We put the defence of the Tower of David and the whole city in the hands of our women".) But in The Lord of the Rings, there's a little ceremony.

"'Let her be as lord to the Eorlingas, while we are gone.' 'It shall be so,' said Theoden. 'Let the heralds announce to the folk that the Lady Eowyn will lead them!' Then the king sat upon a seat before his doors and Eowyn knelt before him and received from him a sword and a fair corselet."

I YELLED when I realised what I was reading right there. You see, the king doesn't just have the heralds announce that Eowyn is in charge. He gives her weapons.

Theoden makes Eowyn a knight of the Riddermark.

Not only that, but I think this is a huge deal for several reasons. That is, Tolkien knew what he was doing here.

From my reading in medieval history, I'm aware of women choosing to fight and bear arms, as well as becoming military leaders while the men are away at some war or as prisoners. What I haven't seen is women actually receiving knighthood. Anyone could fight as a knight if they could afford the (very pricy) horse and armour, and anyone could lead a nation as long as they were accepted by the leaders. But you just don't see women getting knighted like this.

Tolkien therefore chose to write a medieval-coded society, Rohan, where women arguably had greater equality with men than they did in actual medieval societies.

I think that should tell us something about who Tolkien was as a person and how he viewed women - perhaps he didn't write them with equal parity to men (there are undeniably more prominent male characters in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, at least, than female) but compared to the medieval societies that were his life's work, and arguably even compared to the society he lived in, he was remarkably egalitarian.

I think it should also tell us something about the craft of writing fantasy.

No, you don't have to include gut wrenching misogyny and violence against women in order to write "realistic" medieval-inspired fantasy.

Tolkien's fantasy worlds are DEEPLY informed by medieval history to an extent most laypeople will never fully appreciate. The attitudes, the language, the ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS use of medieval military tactics...heck, even just the way that people travel long distances on foot...all of it is brilliantly medieval.

The fact that Theoden bestows arms on Eowyn is just one tiny detail that is deeply rooted in medieval history. Even though he's giving those arms to a woman in a fantasy land full of elves and hobbits and wizards, it's still a wonderfully historically accurate detail.

Of course, I've ranted before about how misogyny and sexism wasn't actually as bad in medieval times as a lot of people today think. But from the way SOME fantasy authors talk, you'd think that historical accuracy will disappear in a puff of smoke if every woman in the dragon-infested fantasy land isn't being traumatised on the regular.

Tolkien did better. Be like Tolkien.

[happyhauntt]

— march fic recs, brought to you by happyhauntt.

a wee fic rec post for a few of the fics i read in march that altered my brain chemistry!! i've put a lil comment next to each rec because honestly writers don't get praised enough for their work these days and i wanted to show my appreciation for these talented souls!!

grishaverse.

➡ kaz brekker.

what do you want from me by @rubysunnday. notes: literally perfect wtf.

dark days by rubysunnday. notes: i reread this literally constantly, it is so perfect, kaz's characterisation is perfect, i adore it.

bloody hands by rubysunnday. notes: i devoured this whole thing like a starving person it was sO good.

when am i gonna lose you? by @crowsmybeloveds. notes: this is so beautiful honestly i have no words.

the lost princess by @ellewritesalright. notes: look it's only part one but elle is a fucking wizard and i'm a sucker for an anastasia au.

you and me (a whole lot of history) by @heliads. notes: this was so cute and such a clever concept i fell in love!!!

schat by @amourology. notes: fully choked this is so adorable.

soulmate by @magpiencrow. notes: KAZ BREKKER SOULMATE AU didn't know i needed this but now i need 100 more!!!!

➡ nikolai lantsov.

nine long years series by @ellewritesalright. notes: i am actively fucking screaming over this fic. i will never stop. this might genuinely be the best thing i've read in a LONG while. everything about it has me sobbing i actively CANNOT COPE. and it's not even finished yet.

one of us by @songofpatrochilless. notes: literally had me sobbing you don't understand the domesticity of it all!!!!!.

come on back to me by @atlabeth. notes: there is a very strong chance that i'll literally never stop screaming about this fic.

dreams of you by @wh0refornikolailantsov. notes: every cell in my body is SCREAMING.

this love by @lantsovsupremacist. notes: did not, in fact, give you permission to hurt me like this do it again.

salt in the wound by @in-my-feels-probably. notes: brain goes brrrr this has everything i need to survive tbh.

wanting was enough by @rubysunnday. notes: beautiful stunning magnificent i want to eat it.

an exhausted smile by @writing-havoc. notes: think i had an aneurysm reading this it was that amazing.

run away with me by @sumsebien. notes: i am still sobbing over this.

in emerald hearts, emerald minds by @undiscovered-horizon. notes: love love love love love. there aren't enough words in any language to describe how much i love this.

➡ alina starkov.

alina starkov x reader by @heliads. notes: alina does not get nearly enough love and this was so fucking sad and cute and brilliant.

➡ nina zenik.

the ten steps to 'i love you' by @sophierequests. notes: this was SO HEARTWARMING AND SWEET i adored it!!!

➡ zoya nazyalensky.

forget-me-nots by @syllvane. notes: not enough zoya fics on this hellsite. but also this ripped my heart out and made me sob so RUDE. i feel devastated.

➡ inej ghafa.

inej ghafa x reader by @heliads. notes: INEJ MY SWEET BABY, this fic is everything to me. everything. and it's so beautifully written!!!

➡ the darkling.

the dark side of the moon series by @myhairpintrigger. notes: this fic is ASTOUNDING. i haven’t cried this much reading something in a long time. i was FULL-BODY SOBBING. i don’t even like the darkling. i am Not a darkling girlie. but i was intrigued by concept of this fic and i can safely say it has ruined my life. this is Emotional Damage Incarnate. i will never recover. author, i salute you.

911.

through the smoke by @borntobewondering. notes: spent twenty whole minutes sobbing after reading this. i felt undone i felt hollow i felt so utterly fucked. author is a genius and that's all there is to say.

not so one night stand by @shmaptainwrites. notes: this was so fuckin adorable i'm in love.

d.c. to l.a. by shmaptainwrites. notes: bobby my guy just doesn't get enough fucking credit and this is so fucking adorable.

criminal minds.

➡ spencer reid.

trouble almost all my life by @januaryembrs. notes: this series is. it's literally. everything. i love bugsy like she's my own child. sister relationships are everything to me. i spent an hour sobbing in my bed over parts 2 and 3. i want this tattooed on my forehead.

➡ aaron hotchner.

found by @benedictscanvas. notes: DADDY i mean what. all jokes aside this was so sweet and beautiful and i'm in love the writing!!!

doctor who.

rage rage (against the dying of the light) by @morganas-pendragons. notes: felt feral after reading this. kayla just gets me in my feels every time.

heartbeat by morganas-pendragons. notes: this was the most emotional devastating thing i've ever read and i fully needed 3-5 business days to recover. rude. i want 100 more.

untitled by morganas-pendragons. notes: PAIN i love this so much.

ache by morganas-pendragons. notes: just scoop my heart out of my fucking chest i don't want it anymore after reading this.

a mind full of blissful terrors by @magiccath. notes: simply fucking amazing.

light in the dark by @i-imagine-my-doctor. notes: screaming please i adore this so much.

baby talk by @kisstherainwriting. notes: THE ABSOLUTE CUTIEST EVER. there's not enough clara fics and this had me squealing and feeling all warm and fuzzy!!!

holding my hand by kisstherainwriting. notes: angst galore this was STUNNING.

in another's eyes by @cas-kingdom. notes: PERFECTION.

where do we go now series by @theetherealbloom. notes: literally so fucking amazing i don't have enough words.

marauders.

the winner takes it all by @ellecdc. notes: brb faye is having a STROKE--

come back, be here series by ellecdc. notes: i think i had a full on stroke while reading this series. the attention to detail is insane. the characterisation is perfect.

i don't know you anymore (maybe i never really did) by @thenyoumightaswellwrestleangels. notes: SCREECHING i'm in love you don't understand.

bridgerton.

➡ anthony bridgerton.

distractions by @peterpparkrr. notes: simply immaculate.

right person, all the wrong times by @wwinterwitch. notes: did you mean one of my favourite tropes bc this is it.

right in front of me by @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 & @thirteenisles. notes: i felt feral after reading this tbh.

➡ sibling!reader.

reluctant caretaker by @rubysunnday. notes: this fic hit my heart in all the right places okay sibling stuff means everything to me.

did she have a cookie by rubysunnday. notes: a joyous read from start to finish i CACKLED the whole way through.

moon knight.

come back to me by @mgparker. notes: still sobbing. immaculate.

the other sarcophagus by @starryevermore. notes: i literally reread this constantly i adore it so much!!

marc spector x reader by @softlyspector. notes: i had an aneurysm reading this and i haven't been the same since.

more marc spector x reader by softlyspector. notes: i am having an intense emotion hold on. anytime i see autistic stuff in canon content for any fandom i SQUEAK. and this is so well done honestly.

star wars.

heartless by @youvebeenlivingfictional. notes: i reread this constantly, it's so amazing and heartwrenching and beautiful and i want to eat it.

little talks by @light-yaers. notes: you simply do not understand how much i adore everything beff writes. i adore this fic more than i need oxygen to breathe.

right where you left me series by light-yaers. notes: personality-defining series. i LIVE for this fic. every update adds five years to my lifespan. if you're not reading this you are MISSING OUT.

a light, a song, a bluebird by @millllenniawrites. notes: made me SOB 10/10 would recommend if you like emotional trauma.

invisible string by @campingwiththecharmings. notes: pining!!! loneliness!!! i adore!!!

hard landings by @softlyspector. notes: no. no you don't understand. this fic doesn't just own my soul it is my soul. i want it tattooed on my face.

misc.

hopper x reader by @luveline. notes: you don't understand this might be the cutest shit i've ever read and jade is a fellow welsh person which automatically makes them brilliant in my book.

muña by @in-my-feels-probably. notes: alicent means fucking everything to me and this had me sobbing.

mistletoe magic by @writingsbychlo. notes: literally the cutest fucking thing ever, had me kicking my legs and squealing!!

[vigilskeep]

it would be cool if you could lose aveline in the resolution of act 2 maybe? like isabela. i think that’s the plot conclusion in which those two characters and the rivalry between them and the lawful/criminal dichotomy they represent matters most. and being able to lose someone on either side like that would make sense as like a taster or warning for what’s ahead in the full conclusion

maybe u would lose her if u dont have enough approval and u agree with the arishok that u would protect the viddathari elves? after u escape the qunari compound she blames hawke for egging the arishok on and instigating the conflict, while hawke blames her for demanding the elves and for their situation in the first place. she does a variant of her finale “goodbye hawke live as you choose” speech and lets hawke do as they will while she marches off to side with the guard. in act 3 she would still be captain of the guard and resentful of hawke being lauded as champion; it would be fun if you could either get her to rejoin the party or embrace the rift between you when you go to see her after the act break. anyway i would prefer something like that to her arc hinging on whether hawke got her a man or not

obviously annoying that u would be able to lose two of the female companions in the act 2 finale, while it’s the conflict most represented by two male companions that characterises the full game finale, but they already did that lmao it’s not my fault who they wrote to embody the most important conflict 🙃

[ltwilliammowett]

The anti seasick ship SS Bessemer Saloon Steamship

The SS Bessemer Saloon Steamship- SS Bessemer for short - was an experimental Victorian passenger side wheel steamer designed to counteract seasickness and operated between Dover and Calais. Her inventor was Sir Henry Bessemer.

Bessemer Saloon Steamer, 1874

In 1868, Bessemer, who suffered from severe seasickness, developed the idea of a ship whose passenger cabin - the saloon - was to be suspended on a gimbal and mechanically held horizontally, thus levelling out the swell and sparing the occupants from the ship's movements. Sounded too good to be true, but more on that later. He patented this ingenious idea in December 1869 and after successful trials with a model in which the levelling was carried out by hydraulics controlled by a helmsman observing a spirit level, Bessemer founded a limited company, the Bessemer Saloon Steamboat Company Limited, which was to operate steamships between England and France. Capital of 250,000 pounds was used to finance the construction of a ship, the SS Bessemer, whose chief designer was the naval architect Edward James Reed.

SS Bessemer, by Henry Spernon Tozer 1874

And so she was built by Earle's Shipbuilding in Hull. She bore the shipyard number 197 and was launched on 24 September 1874. As already mentioned, she was a paddle steamer with four buckets (two buckets each on port and starboard, one forward and one aft). She had a length of 106.68 m (350 feet), a width on deck of 12.19 m (40 feet), an outside width over the bucket boxes of 19.81 m (65 feet), a draught of 2.26 m (7 feet 5 inches) and a gross register tonnage of 1974 tonnes. What also characterised her was that she was completely identical fore and aft, she had two bridges and two wheels, which simply made her faster and more manoeuvrable in both directions. Her maximum speed was about 17.4 knots.

The inner saloon was a room 70 feet long (21 metres) and 30 feet wide (9.1 metres), with a ceiling 6.1 metres above the floor, Moroccan-covered seats, partitions and spiral columns of carved oak and gilded panels with hand-painted murals. The press liked to call it the floating clubhouse. However, the swinging saloon was only intended for first class passengers. The second class, on the other hand, did not enjoy this and had to make do with cabins on the sides of the hull.

Harper's Weekly Interior Pages showing the newly building ultra Luxury Bessemer Channel Steam-Ship, 1874

The disaster begins

On 21 October 1874, the Bessemer had her first misfortune. She had just arrived in Hull to be fitted out when she was driven ashore in a storm. She was refloated and found to be undamaged, which was not entirely true, as would later become apparent.

In March 1875, the ship sailed on a private trial voyage from Dover to Calais. During this voyage she is said to have steered well and even had a top speed of 18 knots. Her swinging saloon is also said to have worked excellently. However, things didn't go so smoothly because on arrival in Calais, a paddle wheel was damaged when she crashed into the pier because it didn't react to the rudder at slow speed.

The first and only public voyage took place on 8 May 1875, with the ship sailing with her revolving cabin locked (some observers suggested this was due to the ship's severe instability, but Bessemer attributed this to lack of time to repair the previous damage). The ship was operated by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. After two attempts to enter the harbour, it again crashed into the Calais pier, this time destroying part of it. Calais billed the company £2800 for the damage.

The Bessemer Saloon-Ship running foul of Calais Pier. Illustrated London News, 1875

Due to the poor performance, investors lost confidence and the company was dissolved in 1876. On 29 December 1876, the Bessemer ran aground on Burcom Sand in the Humber upstream of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, after the removal of the swivelling saloon and other extensive alterations. She was refloated and taken to Hull. The Board of Trade's investigation into the grounding found that the captain was at fault. His certificate was suspended for three months.After removal, the designer Reed had the saloon cabin taken to his home, Hextable House, Swanley, where it was used as a billiard room. When the house was later converted into a women's college, Swanley Horticultural College, the saloon was used as a lecture theatre, but was destroyed by a direct hit when the college was bombed during the Second World War.

The Saloon as a lecutre theatre

The ship was then docked in Dover until it was sold for scrapping in 1879.

The Theory of the Top. Volume IV, by Felix Klein, Arnold Sommerfeld, London, 2010

The Nautical Magazine for 1874

Sir Henry Bessemer, F.R.S.: An Autobiography, 1905

The Gale, The Times. No. 28140. London. 23 October 1874. col E, p. 8.

London, Chatham & Dover Railway Company

[theartfulv]

Lockwood & Co. Appreciation Week

March 24th, Day 1

Favourite Character from the Main Trio:

No surprise here, it’s George Karim! I could go on a whole rant about how much I adore George and his characterisation but for now all I’ll say is George Karim makes me feel seen.

Not sure if I’ll be able to do anymore prompts for the week due to me being away and ill but I’ll try my best!

[inspectorspacetimerevisited]

In a serious case of characterisation marches on,

the Inspector turned from consuming tea during the Classic Series to drinking coffee in the Revived Series.

(Not to say that he/she turns down a cup of tea, but his/her preference is clearly for the Middle Eastern beverage.)

[doodle-pops]

The Ainur | With A Short Reader

Request: Can I make a request for headcanons for how the Ainur would be with a short human reader? Around 5 foot tall? Like an elf of about 6 feet would only reach up to some of their chest or lower still, considering they’re like 7-9 foot tall. Would they be cute, teasing, protective, frustrated by the height difference? P.s. I love the way you characterise all the Ainur, it really feels like their personality, you do a fantastic job. - anon

A/N: Happy to fulfil this request and learn that you enjoy my characterisations of them anon. I tend to envision the Ainur as nothing less than nine feet since they are deities and display their power through their heights. So you’re going to appear super short next to them. Nonetheless, Enjoy!

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ Manwë

The bird was too stunned to speak. Are you a child or dwarf, certainly that could not be your final height at the end of your growth? Unfortunately, it is your complete height which makes you appear as a little bird before the great King. Now his nickname ‘little bird’ makes more sense.

He cannot fathom how you can be the same size as a bean and packed with all that sass whenever he mentions how tiny you are. You require a ladder if you ever reach his head for a ‘level-headed’ talk.

Has no issue picking you up with one hand and carrying you around like his personal comfort toy when he’s having a bad day. Anyone commenting or teasing gets a look that speaks about them receiving a bolt of lightning.

Let us not forget his avian side which is going to fawn over how adorable you are. You’re tiny and squishy, perfect for belonging in his nest where he can shower you in affection all day long.

The size difference is outstanding. Just picture a baby lying in their parents' bed, looking like a little nugget among the pillows…that’s what you appear like anytime you snuggle in his bed. On numerous occasions, he didn’t see you and almost squished you under the sheets.

With your size, it means wearing his robes and marching around his room or Ilmarin pretending to be him while he silently watches from afar. You are drowning in his robes, don’t even wear his shirt, it’s a gown on you.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ Irmo

Your size doesn’t change the way he’s going to shower you with ultimate love and affection. Apart from the minor teasing he’ll conduct for the fun of the situation, Irmo loves you the same way if you are tall.

A gentleman who enjoys using the opportunities when granted to lift you over puddles or streams so he can fawn over how you fit in his arms. He (and the others) can lift you with his pinkie and has done it before.

You are authorised to always sleep on his chest—you look like a kitten sleeping on his chest in his eyes—mainly because you like to roll and so does he and nothing good has arisen from you both rolling together.

Gets lost in crowds and he panics. He’ll be walking around asking if anyone has seen his little lover and he will give descriptions. “They’re about 5 feet, this short and very tiny. They look like an elfling…”

Saw children’s clothing on a walk with you in a boutique, did not know they were for children and excitedly stated, “Oh look! I believe these would look lovely on you! They even have your colours.”

Do not be upset with him, he didn’t know that it was children’s clothing. Irmo only wished to share the moment of shopping with you. But worry not, he gathers the best seamstresses and tailors to fashion you the finest wear that looks nothing like children’s clothes.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ Námo

Has a smile on his face anytime you take the lead and walk in front of him, hence his reason for always telling you to lead the way. He’s a simple Vala, he wants to watch as you waddle like a duck with your short legs as you take him to Eru knows where.

Pretends to complain when you ‘borrow’ his robes because you missed him, but gushes mentally at the sight of how you’re drowning in his forever monochromatic black robes.

His viridian eyes were soft at the sight of you walking around, dragging his robes all over. The idea of complaining about getting them dirty has disappeared, and all he is thinking about is how you look like a penguin.

Your feet running across his halls are the equivalent of tiny pitter-patter and it’s how he can easily distinguish your presence; just listen for the tiny footsteps. But it never works out well when you’re among elves and lost in a crowd.

The first time you met his brother, Irmo mistook you for a child Námo adopted and congratulated his brother on softening up to the idea of children. To make matters worse, you played along—much to Námo’s annoyance—and clung to his arm, calling him ‘atar/daddy’.

Irmo was elated, you were dying of laughter and Námo was contemplating his life. He couldn’t believe this was the humour he signed up for the moment he fell in love with someone shorter than most individuals.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ Ulmo

Mistook you for the child wandering the shores the first time he saw you in the distance and scolded you for playing in the deep waters without parental supervision. That was until he learned you weren’t a child and your permanent height for a lifetime.

‘Pebble’ was the most suitable nickname he gifted you since pebbles were small and cute…like you. Plus, he brings you pebbles, seashells and pearls from the ocean floor as a token of affection.

Because you’re smaller, your strokes as you swim alongside him are slower, so he’ll call the seals, dolphins or whales to swim alongside you for assistance. You’re even allowed to ride them anytime you two are swimming out in the depths.

Since Ulmo’s true form is staggering, he opts to appear around the same height as you are anytime he has to walk the earth. His favourite place to have walks would be the beach obviously.

Hand holding while watching the sunset and he’s quietly staring at your short fingers holding his larger hand. He loves holding your hand to fawn over the size. He would even slip on a cute ring with a pearl one day.

Because Ulmo is known for having no resting place as he wanders the waters of the world, he enjoys visiting your home. It’s even better if you live near a lake for him to have easier access to seeing you frequently. Cue Ulmo marvels at how small your household items are as he picks them up.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ Oromë

Congratulations, you are the perfect size to sit on all of his creatures (and him) to ride through the forest with him. He cannot get over your tiny figure because he knows that you’re about the same size as an elfling and all his creatures are larger than you.

Roughhousing is a thing that occurs between you both and he gets caught up in the experience to forget how easily he can send you on a trip to Estë for healing…because it has happened multiple times.

Picks you up like a sack of potatoes and slings you over his shoulder when he has to carry you somewhere and you’re being troublesome, or he wants to randomly surprise you. You’re as light as a feather as he runs with you through the forest.

Swinging from his muscular arms anytime he flexes his muscles for you? Yes, yes you do, and he loves it. Fuels his ego to know that he’s strong and his lover can climb him like a tree. Clinging to his muscular physique and probably biting him? Yes, you do that he calls you a tiny beast who needs to be tamed.

Not the type to underestimate the size of a creature you can ride because of your size but is also cautious at the same time. Wanted to gift you a Shetland pony because you were small enough to ride one, but back out last minute knowing that he would receive an earful. Gave you a giant-sized tiger or dog as a companion.

You wear his pelts and pretend to act like him, attempting to wield his bow—sweetheart, you couldn’t even draw the strings—as though you were hunting.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ Tulkas

No different from Oromë and will playfight with you using the strength in his pinkie finger and you’d still have to bandage some body parts because accidents happen all the time. No worries though, he praises your injuries and makes you feel as though you fought a great battle with him.

He has no doubts, dismisses your strengths and associates them with your size having seen many great warriors display outstanding strengths and feats despite their size. Instead, he encourages you to take pride in your size and all the greatness you can accomplish.

You got a workout buddy, or rather he got a new dumbbell to lift or someone to sit on his back for push-ups. Your weight is inconsequential, but it doesn’t stop you from enjoying the fun in the moment.

Also picks you up like a sack of potatoes and carries you around the place, introducing you to all his close friends and elves. Anytime you need to speak ‘eye-level’ with him, instead of going to lengths to climb tables or a tree, he’ll kneel to your level.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ Melkor

Getting called dwarf, child, or both the first time you meet will result in him changing the names and calling you a critter if you attempt to attack him for calling you short. Probably ‘ankle biter’ might be your new name because he denoted that small things have the most rage.

You’re a ferocious ankle-biter in his eyes whose nerves he enjoys getting on because your responses are hilarious. It’s all in jest…or maybe not.

Nothing of his will ever fit you, that also means trying to wear his crown with the Silmarils. It’s currently sitting on your neck as we speak. All you can do is make versions of his outfits tailored to your size.

You’re smaller, so his hands can cover your entire face. Know what that means? Squish your cheeks as you speak to admire how soft and dough-like they are. “Hm, ankle biter, you have remarkably soft cheeks,” he says while squishing your face.

There’s nothing you can climb on to meet his height because he makes sure that there isn’t anything around. He wants you to break your neck looking up at him (bite his ankles and he’ll reach your height).

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ Eönwë

“You’re like a hummingbird minus the speed,” he chuckled upon the first sight of your tiny figure. You were lucky he didn’t consider you a lost child who wandered before him in search of help because he was ready to call you ‘child’.

I have to say, Eӧnwё is the best person to try the same ‘daddy’ prank on when you’re walking through the streets of Valimar but clinging to him and acting like a child for the elves to fawn over how adorable the interaction is. There is always an elf who inquires for you to look them in the eye and say, “This is my atya!”

His avian side adores your tininess; and makes you all the more delicate and squishable. You are never again going to leave the nest…just joking, but his protective side goes up a notch because you are TINY.

I mean, he loses you in a crowd easily and you can’t even jump high enough to show your location. You can climb a table or chair but still have to get past the sea of heads before Eӧnwё spots you.

Gets you the smaller version of everything so you don’t have to struggle with holding the larger objects. He once watched as you climbed a chair as if it were a mountain or fought with a glass of wine because the glass was too big to hold.

At least going on flights doesn’t change whether you’re extra small or bigger. Visits in the morning and takes you to watch the sunrise over the mountain from a bird’s eye view.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ Tilion

Doesn’t matter if you’re tiny or tall, you still look the same from his view in the sky as he guides the moon. But he does melt at the sight of you looking up at the moon.

You are forever his ‘little deer’ even though you’re probably feisty and love to bite or nibble on his arms all the time. Similar to Oromë, carries you around like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, but more for the fun of watching your short legs dangle.

Doesn’t alter the size of any furniture so he can observe your legs dangling over the edges and sway, or the size difference between you and the table designed for a nine-foot entity.

Roughhousing is a constant must-have between you both because he adores pinning your smaller body under his and making you fight back. Tilion just wants to watch you struggle and wiggle like a worm. Bite him.

Puts you to sleep on top of him because it is the safest option unless you want to be crushed under a giant nine-foot Maia, and you look like a tiny kitten curled up on his chest. The only thing he hasn’t done is pick you up by your scruff.

He’s such a tease when it comes to you both riding through the forest. Tilion will purposefully place you behind him so you can’t see a thing and then tease you about being too small. But it’s all in jest because he’ll have you ride an elk or reindeer or even a pony that was handpicked to match your size.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ Mairon

He also assumed you’re an ankle biter as well because he called you short and you were ready to attack. Please, do not release him from your tyranny because he will make fun of your height and pat your head or rest his arm atop your head when he’s resting. Again, bite him.

Complains about your short legs and how slow you are when you’re walking side-by-side but comes to you later to ask for assistance because some tool of his fell into a small hole and you’re tiny enough to get it.

Tells you that he’ll feed you to his wolves if you don’t stop clinging to him when in truth, he loves it. You’re small enough to not be a distraction as he moves about his forge or the fortress, but it’s just Mairon being a tsundere.

Doesn’t see you lying in his bed because his bed is huge and you’re extra small, so he almost lies atop your body. It’s turned into a staring match like how children stare you down without blinking.

Has a tendency to carry you around, for funsies, by holding onto your belt or grabbing the back of your clothes so you dangle as he powers through the corridors until he arrives at his Lord holding you like a briefcase.

Deep down, as much as he teases your size, he enjoys the differences. Watching you fight to lift an object made for his size or dress in his clothes—if you’re brave enough to try this—is entertaining.

Masterlist

Taglist: @ranhanabi777 @lilmelily @mysticmoomin @rain-on-my-umbrella @asianbutnotjapanese @batsyforyou @mcwentfandomtraveling @involuntaryspasms @stormchaser819 @aconstructofamind @addaigio @lamemaster

[the-cornuthaum]

Man, the shift in tone between Originium Dust and Lucent Arrowhead is pretty fucking wild, and I think it's best characterised by the emotional catharsis of the protagonists of either event - Ash and Ela.

I'm going to elaborate below the cutoff in case someone sees this and hasn't finished reading Lucent Arrowhead yet.

Originium Dust is much beloved for the insight into the life of the Infected, the little and least wanted people on Terra, and especially how they die and why Infection is so feared. It is not a happy story, not even remotely. It is not funny and is as straight as a lance at the end of which is taped the message "NOTHING, NOT EVEN ROCK CANCER, JUSTIFIES BRUTALITY AND ABUSE AGAINST THOSE WHO CANNOT DEFEND THEMSELVES".

It is an isekai story where a bunch of serious, professional military operators from their world's most distinguished pan-national special forces coalition are displaced in space and time and must reckon with life in a new world where much of the mores they took for granted are cast aside in the name of expediency (because goddamn Terrans treat the Infected so much worse than the world treats people with chronic and terminal illness and disability).

Lucent Arrowhead, in comparison, is much more of a fun story. It has jokes, like the way Mateo is a completely incompetent buffoon, Doc having a breakdown at people mispronouncing croissant, or - particularly - the NFT scene. It is still about how shitty people are to the infected, but it lacks that singular focus of Originium Dust.

And this really is best exemplified by the conclusion to the arcs of the two protagonists, Ash and Ela.

At the end of Operation Lucent Arrowhead, Ela finally gives in to what she wants to do and delivers a correctional beating to a goddamn idiot and selfish jackass to instill proper morals. She's pretty calm, collected and knows exactly why she's doing this - she's offended at Reynell's selfish stupidity, and wants him to reconsider his life choices.

You can see it in the art. This is the face of someone for whom giving someone a morals-improving beating is not too far out of the ordinary, someone who is making a deliberate, conscious choice. Someone whose story did not push her anywhere near a breaking point.

You can probably guess where I'm going.

Because the counterpoint to that CG - which is clearly and delibeately evoking the comparison to what happened at the end of Originium Dust - is Ash's breakdown.

Every single bit of this CG is drawn to make it clear that this is someone at wit's end, someone who hit their breaking point and whose reaction to witnessing personally and upfront some of the vilest, most horrible cruelty towards the least deserving man she has met in this new world was to start punching and keep going until literally pulled off of her target by her friends. The blood, the facial expression, the glasses, everything is meant to make it clear that this is someone thrown completely off balance, and it works.

Because Originium Dust isn't trying to be funny, it's not trying to make jokes, it's simply making abundantly clear what happens to the least and weakest. Originium Dust released (on CN) in March 2021, height of the lockdowns, half a year after Chapter 8, back when this game was still about the plight of the Infected rather than the latest iteration of Something Is Bad In Victoria. It wanted to make an important point and didn't let anything - levity or otherwise - intrude on that.

I think Lucent Arrowhead is an OK event. But Originium Dust was better, in significant part because it pushed its cast so much harder into Terra and its horrible no good very bad realities, because it made its protagonist lose her cool at the crushing injustice of it all.

[theladyofbloodshed]

i don't know which part of cassian's characterisation makes him seem like he'd be a good girl dad

the part when he tells his mate that everybody hates her or the part when he makes her march until exhaustion

[scotianostra]

21st September 1745 saw The Battle of Prestonpans.

The Battle of Prestonpans was the first significant conflict in the Jacobite Rising commonly known as the ‘45.

The subject of my earlier post, Walter Scott made the Battle of Prestonpans the centrepiece of his first novel Waverley, and another Edinburgh literary giant, Robert Louis Stevenson looks back on its importance in Kidnapped. The national bard Robert Burns also wrote about it and has connections with the area, his brother worked in Prestonpans and he is remembered around the town to this day.

The battle later reached the big screen with David Niven’s Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1948, and more recently Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels and TV series have brought the Battle of Prestonpans to audiences all around the world.

The victory became a symbol of Scottish resistance to British government rule, and of the negligence of Hanoverian military commanders.

Thanks to local knowledge and a thick haar that drifted in from the Firth of Forth, the Jacobite army filed along a narrow path during the wee small hours giving them the element of surprise over the redcoat army and General “Johnny Cope”

At 6am around 2,000 men drawn to the cause of Prince Charles Edward Stuart clashed with a larger force of some 3,000 government troops under the command of Sir John Cope close to the Firth of Forth in East Lothian.

Cope’s men, originally facing South, were forced to rapidly wheel around to face the Jacobites, who charged unexpectedly from the East.

British dragoon regiments, stationed on either flank of Cope’s infantry, abandoned their posts soon after fighting began, leaving the foot soldiers dangerously exposed.

Surrounded on three sides, the remaining Hanoverian force was swept aside in a little over ten minutes.

Hundreds of government troops were killed or wounded, and a further 1,500 taken prisoner by the Prince’s men, Jacobite casualties were light.

But while the rout took just a few minutes, Jacobite commanders had been far less confident about victory in the days leading up to it. There had been a few skirmishes, including at High Bridge in Lochaber in August, but this was the first large-scale confrontation with a sizeable Hanoverian force.

The Hanoverians were professional soldiers, infantry and dragoons, the forces at Cope's disposal were - or should have been - competent.

In contrast, contemporary accounts emphasise the role of poor Highlanders, who marched south with Prince Charles, in the Jacobite force. If the Jacobites had lost it would have been game over, especially since there was much dissension among the senior Jacobite commanders in the hours before the battle.

Several accounts of the battle emphasise how spooked Cope’s men were by the Highlanders, as well as their struggle to deploy heavy cannon and cavalry that should have given them an advantage. Cope is said to have been so frustrated by his artillery units that he dismissed them and sent word to Edinburgh for replacements. They did not arrive in time.

Despite being cleared of any negligence at a court martial in 1746, Sir John Cope’s reputation as a military commander was destroyed by Prestonpans, and never recovered.

Immortalised in Adam Skirving’s famous Scots song “Hey, Johnnie Cope, Are Ye Waking Yet?, Cope was characterised in contemporary accounts as a coward and a buffoon.

Fye now Johnnie, get up and run,

The Highland bagpipes mak a din,

It's better tae sleep in a hale skin.

For 'twill be a bloody morning.

When Johnnie Cope tae Dunbar came,

They spiered at him, 'where's a' your men?'

'The Deil confound me gin I ken,

For I left them a this morning.'

Skirving's song did much of the damage, but Burns also published a version and there wasn't much of a counter-narrative in his favour.

The site of Cope’s defeat - and the Jacobite’s surprise victory - has been listed in the Scottish Government’s national inventory of significant battle sites when that was established in 2009, and re-enactments of the fighting regularly take place.

A cairn in memory of the battle was erected in 1953 and others have been added throughout the years. A visitor centre is planned.

The illustration is from the hand of the late Andrew Hillhouse depicting the night march. https://www.andrewhillhouseprints.co.uk/gallery_660173.html

[glorfindel-of-imladris]

The Case of Glorfindel: Kindness Over Valour

@glorfindelweek Day 6: Reawakening | Relationship with the Ainur | Returning to Middle-earth

I have been meaning to write a meta piece around Glorfindel, focusing on his nature and why it was that he was the one chosen to return to Middle-earth as emissary of the Valar. Part of this is also to help explain the kind of characterisation I go for when I write him in fanfiction, and so it was also to help lay down my character notes for him. Again, thanks to Glorfindel Week, I finally got to it. ☺️

Over the years, I often see the question around why Glorfindel—specifically and seemingly uniquely—was chosen to return to Middle-earth, and not other characters of equal or even greater valour.

What we can conclude is simple: the Valar did not look for the strongest warrior. They looked for something else, and here, I put together relevant parts of the lore to show the kind of person they ultimately chose.

A capable warrior

The Valar not choosing the strongest warrior does not mean they did not need someone capable. In the end, the job they tasked Glorfindel with was to aid Middle-earth in its battle against Sauron, and ultimately the legacy Morgoth left behind. This could not have been done by anyone who couldn’t hold their own against the forces of the enemy.

Glorfindel was one of Turgon’s most trusted, rivaled only by Ecthelion, who I would argue was in fact the greatest warrior among the lords of Gondolin, just by mentioned achievements alone. When Aredhel wanted to leave Gondolin, in early versions of the story, Turgon entrusted her to three captains: Ecthelion, Egalmoth, and Glorfindel. And when Gondolin came to aid in what later would be known as the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, Turgon was flanked by two captains: once again, Ecthelion and Glorfindel.

There are many reasons why a king would favour certain lords or knights, but in the case of these captains, it does seem as if skill plays a factor. During the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, for example, it was said:

Then Turgon took the counsel of Húrin and Huor, and summoning all that remained of the host of Gondolin and such of Fingon’s people as could be gathered he retreated towards the Pass of Sirion; and his captains Ecthelion and Glorfindel guarded the flanks to right and left, so that none of the enemy should pass them by. (The Silmarillion)

“None of the enemy should pass them by” speaks of the prowess of these two captains, and how skilled they were in the face of the forces of the enemy. Remember that by this point, they were already overwhelmed and losing; they were seeking to flee. Turgon had just become the High King of the Ñoldor, and so instantly had a target on his back. It was crucial he be brought to safety.

Further, in texts describing Glorfindel and the House of the Golden Flower, it is also mentioned that Glorfindel’s house made up a great number of warriors. Their prowess can also be gleaned from the fact that during the attack on Gondolin:

Glorfindel and his men guarded the Great Market, which was a prominent place in the city and would have been one of the larger common areas. Here, they were overwhelmed and Glorfindel called urgently for aid, but they were betrayed by Salgant so that help came very late. Despite this, they were able to salvage their numbers enough to rejoin Tuor and the others later on, strengthening their odds during the escape from the city. Glorfindel himself, with Tuor, cleared the square that let all their men withdraw from battle, and allowed people to escape the burning city.

Despite their losses in the Great Market, during the march through Cristhorn, the House of the Golden Flower remained among the great houses “the largest band of men battle-whole”, and so took up the rearmost end of the refugees, and protected them from the enemies pursuing them.

So Glorfindel himself is the lord of a great house of warriors. We also know from all the battles where he was mentioned, including his most famous one with the Balrog, that he himself is a strong warrior even before he was reincarnated in Aman.

Glorfindel as someone noble, humble, gentle and beloved

We have established that Glorfindel is a capable warrior, but there are many capable warriors throughout the history of Middle-earth. The Silmarillion, in fact, is an entire book of strong Elves. So why single him out?

What is best established about Glorfindel is how he is well beloved. Proof of this is scattered in the text:

[The Balrog] shrieked, and fell backward from the rock, and falling clutched Glorfindel’s yellow locks beneath his cap, and those twain fell into the abyss. Now this was a very grievous thing, for Glorfindel was most dearly beloved – and lo! the dint of their fall echoed about the hills, and the abyss of Thorn Sir rang. (The Fall of Gondolin)

Because of their love, despite the haste and their fear of the advent of new foes, Tuor let raise a great stone-cairn over Glorfindel just there beyond the perilous way by the precipice of Eagle-stream and Thorondor has let not yet any harm come thereto, but yellow flowers have fared thither and blow ever now about that mound in those unkindly places; but the folk of the Golden Flower wept at its building and might not dry their tears. (The Fall of Gondolin)

Not only was Glorfindel deeply mourned by his own house, who knew him best, but the entire people of Gondolin loved him and mourned him. He was even mourned up until the refugees reached the Vale of Sirion, already many miles away from Gondolin:

There they rested a while, and were healed of their hurts and weariness; but their sorrow could not be healed. And they made a feast in memory of Gondolin and of the Elves that had perished there, the maidens, and the wives, and the warriors of the King; and for Glorfindel the beloved many were the songs they sang, under the willows of Nan-tathren in the waning of the year. (The Silmarillion)

The mourning of Glorfindel is singled out from all the losses they incurred in Gondolin. One can argue that this can be because his battle and death was one that had many witnesses, and what saved them on that last stretch, as opposed to the other lords, but the text repeatedly qualifies Glorfindel as beloved even before these deeds. Such things can speak for the kind of person he was while still alive.

Another striking thing when it comes to the texts around Glorfindel is that his deeds in battle are always described matter of fact; these are things he does, but these are not what define him. Instead, it is in lines that describe how he is beloved, how he is mourned, the things he himself regrets and what he chooses to protect that are what define his character.

The Peoples of Middle-earth is the most definitive text that describes the nature of Glorfindel. Here, it is said:

Now Glorfindel of Gondolin was one of the exiled Ñoldor, rebels against the authority of Manwë, and they were all under a ban imposed by him: they could not return in bodily form to the Blessed Realm. Manwë, however, was not bound by his own ordinances, and being still the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Arda could set them aside, when he saw fit. From what is said of Glorfindel in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings it is evident that he was an Elda of high and noble spirit: and it can be assumed that, though he left Valinor in the host of Turgon, and so incurred the ban, he did so reluctantly because of kinship with Turgon and allegiance to him, and had no part in the kinslaying of Alqualondë. (The Peoples of Middle-earth)

Kinslaying is the gravest of sins committed by the Ñoldor in Middle-earth, and which also most goes against their case in returning to Valinor. Tolkien, therefore, was particular about who among his characters did not take part in the kinslaying. Galadriel was one, and many from the host of Finarfin. Among the host of Fingolfin, only Glorfindel was mentioned to have not taken part in the kinslaying. Given Glorfindel’s closeness to Turgon and his loyalty to him, and knowing that Turgon did certainly participate in the kinslaying and was "one of the most determined and unrepentant supporters of Fëanor’s rebellion" (The Peoples of Middle-earth), that Glorfindel stayed his hand, perhaps even likely tried to stop them, was no easy feat.

Glorfindel had sacrificed his life in defending the fugitives from the wreck of Gondolin against a Demon out of Thangorodrim, and so enabling Tuor and Idril daughter of Turgon and their child Eärendil to escape, and seek refuge at the Mouths of Sirion. Though he cannot have known the importance of this (and would have defended them even had they been fugitives of any rank), this deed was of vital importance to the designs of the Valar. (The Peoples of Middle-earth)

I very much appreciate the line “and would have defended them even had they been fugitives of any rank”. We don’t often get lines like this in the text, and putting it there is a deliberate choice by Tolkien to drive home the kind of person Glorfindel is. Glorfindel is a lord of Gondolin, “an Elf-lord of a house of princes”, as Gandalf would later describe him, but he does not look at such things and would put his life on the line for anyone of any standing.

He even proves this still later on, two ages later, when Frodo and company meet him on the road. Fellowship of the Ring actually has some of my favourite quotes around Glorfindel; there is a reason why he became my favourite character very early on, even without having yet read The Silmarillion and the other histories at the time.

This part, hands down, is my favourite, and it came from Glorfindel himself when he was describing events of the past days before he found Frodo and the others:

‘They said that the Nine were abroad, and that you were astray bearing a great burden without guidance... There are few even in Rivendell that can ride openly against the Nine; but such as there were, Elrond sent out north, west, and south… It was my lot to take the Road, and I came to the Bridge of Mitheithel, and left a token there, nigh on seven days ago. Three of the servants of Sauron were upon the Bridge, but they withdrew and I pursued them westward. I came also upon two others, but they turned away southward. Since then I have searched for your trail.' (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Glorfindel said it so simply, but actually on hindsight, especially after learning everything that we know of the context of this world and its histories, there is so much to unpack! Let’s go through them one by one:

“There are few even in Rivendell that can ride openly against the Nine…” – The reason for this, as Gandalf later explains, is because the only ones who can ride openly against the Nazgûl would have only been Elves from Valinor, who “live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and Unseen they have great power”. We know there are very few of them remaining in Middle-earth by the Third Age, and even among these, likely they can only send warriors. This early, we get a clue that Frodo and company have met someone extraordinary.

“It was my lot to take the Road…” – By “Road”, Glorfindel meant the East Road, the great and ancient road that cuts across Eriador, from Rivendell to the Grey Havens. This would have been the most perilous of the roads because it would have been the most obvious path away from the Shire, and so would have been most guarded by the Enemy. Again, once one knows his history and achievements, it is no surprise that Glorfindel was assigned this road. But Glorfindel himself only says it in passing—as if taking the most perilous road is just a walk in the park and only to be expected.

“Three of the servants of Sauron were upon the Bridge, but they withdrew and I pursued them westward. I came also upon two others, but they turned away southward.” – Here already is the proof of what I said above: just by taking the East Road, Glorfindel encountered five of the Nazgûl. But here’s the funny thing: the enemy was running from him! Here was the terrible evil Frodo and his friends were afraid of and running from, but they turn away from Glorfindel. Glorfindel “pursued” them, and they escaped him; when he encountered more, they “turned southward”.

The Nazgûl have long had a history of trying to avoid Glorfindel. The Witch-king himself flees from him, as we have seen in the Battle of Fornost, where the Witch-king showed he was unafraid of Men, and even laughed at and mocked Prince Eärnur, but ran away when Glorfindel arrived. But you barely catch these things when Glorfindel describes them. He simply encounters them on the road like it’s nothing. This is once again one of those times when the text downplays Glorfindel’s prowess as a warrior—because again, this is not what is most striking about him. Instead, we get more of these:

‘My master is sick and wounded,’ said Sam angrily. ‘He can’t go on riding after nightfall. He needs rest.’ Glorfindel caught Frodo as he sank to the ground, and taking him gently in his arms he looked in his face with grave anxiety. [...] He searched the wound on Frodo’s shoulder with his fingers, and his face grew graver, as if what he learned disquieted him. But Frodo felt the chill lessen in his side and arm; a little warmth crept down from his shoulder to his hand, and the pain grew easier… (The Fellowship of the Ring)

From the beginning, Glorfindel was friendly and kind to the Hobbits and established himself as a friend to them. He grew concerned hearing about their story and showed visible anxiety over their plight. At the same time, his presence was a comfort to them, no doubt also influenced by Strider’s obvious relief that Glorfindel was now with them, but I daresay Glorfindel himself just naturally brings this feeling along with him wherever he goes, explaining why he is beloved wherever time he lands.

‘You shall ride my horse,’ said Glorfindel. ‘I will shorten the stirrups up to the saddle-skirts, and you must sit as tight as you can. But you need not fear: my horse will not let any rider fall that I command him to bear. His pace is light and smooth; and if danger presses too near, he will bear you away with a speed that even the black steeds of the enemy cannot rival.’ (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Even in the face of danger, Glorfindel is kind and thoughtful. He not only offers Frodo his horse, but he thinks about what a Hobbit would need to be comfortable on said horse. He also has thought about what worries Frodo might have, what he would be afraid of, and sought to allay them even before Frodo spoke about them.

An emissary of the Valar

One important thing in answering the question of “Why Glorfindel?” is to go back to the task at hand. What the Valar looked for was an emissary for them, someone who represented them and brought with them their good intentions.

Manwë, for all his faults and his inability to understand the nature of evil, and so actually was very poor adversary for it, still sought to help Middle-earth when he could. Glorfindel, in fact, was returned as an answer to prayers, from the very people of Middle-earth themselves:

[Glorfindel’s] return must have been for the purpose of strengthening Gil-galad and Elrond, when the growing evil of the intentions of Sauron were at last perceived by them… In 1600 it became clear to all the leaders of Elves and Men (and Dwarves) that war was inevitable against Sauron, now unmasked as a new Dark Lord. They therefore began to prepare for his assault; and no doubt urgent messages and prayers asking for help were received in Númenor (and in Valinor). (The Peoples of Middle-earth)

Prior to his return in 1600 S.A., Glorfindel has already been living in Valinor for many years, from near the end of the First Age (shortly after his death) and well into the Second Age. Within that time, he has grown to be an even better version of his old self, learning from the Ainur, and growing in strength and wisdom:

For long years [Glorfindel] remained in Valinor, in reunion with the Eldar who had not rebelled, and in the companionship of the Maiar. To these he had now become almost an equal, for though he was an incarnate (to whom a bodily form not made or chosen by himself was necessary) his spiritual power had been greatly enhanced by his self-sacrifice. At some time, probably early in his sojourn in Valinor, he became a follower, and a friend, of Olórin (Gandalf), who as is said in The Silmarillion had an especial love and concern for the Children of Eru. (The Peoples of Middle-earth)

This connection with Olórin is also a critical aspect of the case we’re making about Glorfindel here. Olórin is one the Ainur most sympathetic to the Children of Eru, and was even said to have learned mercy and patience from Nienna herself. Glorfindel already started out as somebody who would protect people. It is therefore not surprising that he would gravitate towards those who have similar sympathies. Likely, he was already known to Manwë before his being chosen as emissary.

One indulgent concept I often think about is how, given all of these, one can even argue for Glorfindel being in the same category as the Istari. The Istari, as we know, were Maiar who were tasked to come to Middle-earth’s aid. Glorfindel returned to Middle-earth around the same time that Morinehtar and Rómestámo came; they would have been the first wave, after which Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast followed in the Third Age. Glorfindel was already compared to the Maiar in terms of strength; the only difference they have at this point is Glorfindel’s nature as someone incarnate. The timing also works, the similarities in mission striking. Likely, Glorfindel was returned within the same context that the Istari were formed in the first place.

Could anyone else have returned?

As far as the text is concerned, it is very likely that Glorfindel is the only Elf to have returned to Middle-earth. The circumstances surrounding his return is extraordinary. Tolkien was also seen to have considered others who shared the same names with people in the First Age (e.g., Galdor, Legolas), but these were scrapped and only Glorfindel remains. In fact, out of all the exiled Elves who fell in Middle-earth, only Glorfindel and Finrod are specifically mentioned to have been brought out of Mandos and reimbodied and returned to Valinor.

Certainly there is room for others in fanon. I am fond of ideas where other lords of Gondolin also return at the very least in Valinor, but this likely happened much later, well after the First Age. It was written:

Glorfindel remained in the Blessed Realm, no doubt at first by his own choice: Gondolin was destroyed, and all his kin had perished, and were still in the Halls of Waiting unapproachable by the living. But his long sojourn during the last years of the First Age, and at least far into the Second Age, no doubt was also in accord with the wishes and designs of Manwë. (The Peoples of Middle-earth)

“Kin” or "kindred" here can be understood to be the people of Gondolin, primarily. Glorfindel reads as somebody who identifies with people with whom he belongs; “kindred” therefore would have been “his people”, such as a clan or a large group. In fact, he used the same word in The Fellowship of the Ring, this time to refer to the people of Gildor whom Frodo met on the road, since Glorfindel’s people now are, of course, those Elves from Rivendell:

‘Elrond received news that troubled him. Some of my kindred, journeying in your land beyond the Baranduin, learned that things were amiss, and sent messages as swiftly as they could.’ (The Fellowship of the Ring)

None of the people of Gondolin were reimbodied, at least not as early as Glorfindel. Glorfindel is someone truly extraordinary. While it is true that this grand story of him was a product of Tolkien using his name twice in two important stories, I love that he elected to have them be the same person, and weave a story as to how this can be. We therefore now have a Glorfindel who is larger than life, but most importantly, someone immensely good and kind and enduring, someone who feels keenly his place in the world, and his nature, before his death but especially after it, is naturally inclined to service.

Even after so many years in Middle-earth, the way he associated with Frodo and company still shows someone who is deeply concerned with the worries of the world and its people, who is pushed to haste when someone is in danger, and this vitality he brings with him even at the end of the Age of Elves.

So, even with all the great warriors in The Silmarillion and in the First Age, looked at it in this view, on the question of “Why Glorfindel?”, the choice actually was not that difficult. The Valar chose the warrior whose history, innate nature and sympathies made him the one most likely to protect all the free peoples of Middle-earth, and to put this task consistently above himself.